PLANK MAGAZINE LINK

If you are visiting because of the PLANK Magazine article about Greece does Grease,

my actual Choreography blog is

http://www.aprilopeel.com/choreo-blog.html

But the ABCDD's Blog is a great resource! Check them Both out! And make sure you don't miss Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society's production of Greece does Grease!!

T is for Tableau Vivant

A Tableau Vivant occurs when a group of performers create a scene without movement or speech to create a living picture. This was a popular form of entertainment before radio, film or television and were a major feature at festivities for royal weddings, coronations, and royal entries to cities. Due to strict morality laws in the early nineteenth century forbidding women from dancing in the nude, Tableaux Vivants were used as a form of erotic entertainment under the guise of art and culture. If classical art works were permitted to show female nudity, it was understood that it was movement that caused the female form to become sexual. This meant that recreations of classical works using nude women could and would be permitted.

I couldn't find a good naughty Tableau but the one above by Canadian artist Adad Hannah is pretty cool! I'm pretty sure the one guy in the recreation should have his pants off though.. I found the links here and here

S is for Sally Rand

In the 1920s Sally Rand was an actress for both film and stage but became a dancer after the advent of talking pictures. Her name became synonymous with fan dance after her performance at the 1933 Chicago’s World Fair. Wearing a thin body stocking, Sally created the illusion of nudity as she teased her audience while dancing with her two giant ostrich fans. She became an overnight sensation drawing crowds of thousands! She has also been credited for creating the “bubble dance” in which a large balloon or “bubble” was used to again conceal, tease and create interesting poses as she danced.

There is another terrific video of Sally's Bubble dance here.

R is for Reverse Strip

A Reverse Strip is another classic act performed world over by countless stripteasers and comedians. Usually the performer begins nearly nude, then proceeds to dress themselves using elements of tease along the way. Done well, a reverse striptease can be as effective as any straightforward strip routine. Lili St Cyr had a legendary reverse striptease act as does the undisputed Queen of British Burlesque and Miss Exotic World 2007, Immodesty Blaize.

For the life of me, I TRIED to find a quality full length video of a reverse strip but I had some trouble. This video is only a snippet of Immodesty's reverse strip routine.

Her website is here; Check it out! She is boo-ti-ful!!

Q is for Queerlesque

Although Burlesque can be considered a sub-culture, there is also room for genres within said genre. One of the subdivisions of Neo Burlesque is Queerlesque. Queerlesque involves all of the main components of burlesque but with a queer twist or flavor added to the act.

VaVa Vunderbust is an amazing performer who is popular with the gays, the kindof gays, the not so gays.... basically everyone! She often performs numbers that celebrate gay culture and lifestyle! SHE IS AMAZING!!!

Photo by Shimona Henry of Pinup Perfection

P is for Pasties

One of the crucial differences between Burlesque and modern stripping remain the use of Pasties and a G-string as a final reveal versus well, nothing! Pasties refer to the nipple coverings used to conceal the dancer’s nipple. They can be any size, shape or color and are affixed with some sort of adhesive; often double sided tape or spirit gum. They are called pasties as they are quite literally “pasted” on. Pasties were introduced as a way to deter censors. Dancers could show almost all of their breasts but not be entirely topless. Carrie Finnell is credited as being the first dancer to use tassels on her pasties and introduce the world to the fine art of tassel twirling.

The picture above is of Jennie Lee, The Bazoom Girl! The Link has alot of neat Info about her and you should check it out!

O is for Olio

In theatre terms an olio refers to either speciality acts being performed downstage between scenes, possibly when the upstage set is being changed or to a set of variety acts usually occurring in the second half of a show. Variety acts have long been part of Burlesque shows both past and present and can include magicians, jugglers, mentalists, acrobats, singers, and comics. A traditional Burlesque show format would feature a band or musical talent in the first act, an olio of variety acts in the second, and followed by a one act burlesque musical in the third.

The picture above is of Mysterion, a mentalist/magician based in Toronto who sometimes performs with Burlesque shows. ooooOOOoooo.

N is for Neo-Burlesque

Neo Burlesque refers to the current resurgence of Burlesque in today’s modern times. Today’s performers use inspiration from any of burlesque’s history to create a modern performance that can range from classic striptease to out there performance art to a hilarious comedic routine. In Neo Burlesque, anything goes! The common denominator remains an element of striptease, with an emphasis on tease, usually down to pasties and/or g-string but no further. Neo Burlesque also offers an emphasis on body and sex positivity which differentiates it from modern stripping. The current Burlesque movement first found its feet in the mid 90s with revues from Billie Madley, Tony Marando and Michelle Carr’s The Velvet Hammer Burlesque Troupe. The revival is worldwide with festivals in New York, London, Vancouver, Australia, Amsterdam and Helsinki and shows no sign of slowing down.


The photo is of Dirty Martini, Miss Exotic World 2004, currently voted the number one Burlesque performer/starlet in the world

The photo is from a Karl Lagerfield shoot with V Magazine that I found here

And there is an awesome interview with Dirty here

She is my favorite!!

M is for Minsky

The Minsky Brothers Abe, Billy, Herbert, and Morton are a huge part of Burlesque history in New York in the early 1900s. After their father gave them an inconveniently located theatre on the sixth floor in the National Winter Garden on Houston Street, the brothers tried several attempts at “legitimate” entertainment. They tried showing respectable films and hiring vaudeville performers, but neither effort was successful. However, the half naked women of Burlesque had more than enough appeal to keep the Brothers and their theatre full of paying customers. Contributing to their success were innovative ideas like having a runway into the audience to bring the girls closer to the clientele. Minksy’s was also well known for the overtly-scandalous performances from their dancers and were raided several times by morality squads over the years before finally being shut down in 1937. Both the words “Minsky’s” and “Burlesque” were banned in New York around this time. The scandal at Minsky’s also allowed the city to refuse permits for all other Burlesque houses in New York, effectively destroying the Burlesque scene.

I found the neato picture of the Minksky theatre here